Standards and Frameworks

The National Palliative Care Standards for All Health Professionals and Aged Care Services have been developed by Palliative Care Australia to ensure that individuals receive consistent and compassionate palliative care across various health and aged care settings. Divided into 9 standards, they outline the key principles that non-specialist services (including residential care providers, GPs, and community health services) must meet when providing palliative care. They focus on delivering person and family centered, holistic care that is culturally safe care, and respects the diverse backgrounds of patients. They include standards for the early identification of palliative needs and support for advance care planning, They also set expectations for  organisations as a whole by encouraging collaboration with specialist teams, ongoing professional training, and continuous quality improvement.

The Victorian End of Life and Palliative Care Framework released in July 2016 by the Department of Health, serves as a strategic guide to enhance the quality, accessibility, and delivery of palliative and end-of-life care within different health care services across Victoria. It promotes coordinated, integrated services, community engagement, and shared responsibility across sectors. The framework enhances access to specialist palliative care, supports advance care planning, and ensures care is available close to home. It also addresses the needs of diverse groups, including culturally and linguistically diverse communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the LGBTIQA+ community. 

New Aged Care Act

New reforms to palliative care include focusing on person-centered and rights-based care, guaranteeing all aged care recipients equitable access to palliative and end-of-life care. The new Act acknowledges these services a core part of aged care and introduces an End-of-Life pathway to provide resources for home-based palliative care support, enabling older Australians to receive care in their preferred setting.

Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards

The new standards significantly enhance palliative and end-of-life care under Outcome 5.7. These include earlier recognition of palliative care needs and planning, better support for individuals and their supporters, comprehensive care plans for delivering palliative care and more effective end-of-life care pathways.